Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres is ready to dance

LOS ANGELES — Seven years after her Oscar debut, Ellen DeGeneres is back.

The 56-year-old TV personality talked with The Associated Press about her plans and preparations for hosting her second Academy Awards on Sunday.

AP:

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What did it take for you to say “yes” again?

DeGeneres: “It took my agent saying, ‘Yes, you should do it.’ And I said, ‘OK.’ Look, it’s the greatest gig in the world. And it’s also really, really hard. So, I wasn’t going to do it, because I’ve done it before. And I thought, ‘I don’t need to do that again.’ And then I realized I’m too comfortable and too complacent and I should scare myself and take a chance. So here I am, scaring myself and taking a chance.”

AP: Describe the fear element of the job.

DeGeneres: “It’s live around the world, to a billion people watching, and every major person who is in the room that has done every major thing. I mean, I know a lot of them. So, it helps a little bit that I’m friendly with everybody. But it’s still scary. It’s the energy in the room. There’s a lot of really anxious energy and, so, you kind of pick that up. You can feel all that when you walk out. So I’m trying to remain calm.”

AP: How will you be able to resist dancing along with the nominated songs, especially Pharrell Williams’ “Happy”?

DeGeneres: “I know. I will be dancing like crazy, whether he likes it or not. I’m just looking forward to the hat he wears. And I hope that the person (sitting) behind him isn’t mad, because he wears a large hat, that Pharrell.”

AP: What’s your ultimate goal for Oscar night?

DeGeneres: “I hope that everyone had fun. I hope that it didn’t seem like it’s as long as it’s going to be. This year it’s six hours. Did you know that? Six hours… Here’s what I hope: I hope when I say, ‘Goodnight,’ I hope people go: ‘One more hour! One more hour!’ And they start chanting and make me stay. That’s what I hope.”